This invention relates to mass-mail handling equipment and more particularly to a device for turning envelopes from a flat, horizontal position to a vertical position on one of its edges.
Mass-mailing equipment has become very diverse in its functions. For instance, inserting equipment transports envelopes along an inserting track while various types of inserts are automatically inserted into the envelopes. The envelopes are normally transported to another piece of equipment that automatically seals the envelopes, weighs them and affixes postage. Still additional equipment can automatically read the zip codes or zip code indicia on the envelopes and indicate zip code breaks in the envelope groups for zip code pre-sorting. This allows the user to take advantage of lower postal rates. Other mass-mailing equipment may include remittance processing equipment and zip code sorting equipment.
Customers utilizing mass-mailing equipment may have differing needs and requirements. Therefore, mass-mailing equipment is generally designed for one specific function. Each piece can then be connected by conveyor or other transport means to additional mail processing equipment so a customized system can be assembled. One problem with this approach is that adjacent mail processing equipment may require the envelopes to be oriented in a position which is different than the discharge of the proceeding piece of equipment. This necessitates transition conveyors or re-orientation devices.
For example, most inserting equipment in use today moves the envelopes along a track with their faces (the addresses) face down and the flaps extended with the back of the flaps up during the insertion mode. The envelopes, as they leave the inserting machine, may have the flaps moistened and sealed before exiting the inserter. If the envelope is then going to have postage applied, it must be turned over 180 degrees so that the postage can be affixed to the face of the envelope. One such device suitable for turning the envelopes over is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,324, entitled "Article Turnover Assembly" and assigned to the applicant of the present invention. A problem with the device illustrated in the '324 patent is that it turns the envelopes over 180 degrees and it is not adaptable to turn the envelopes over only 90 degrees. This same problem is found in other prior art devices.
An object of the inventive device is to provide an apparatus that can turn envelopes 90 degrees at high speeds without the envelopes being dropped from the turning device or jamming within the device.
It is a further object to turn the articles while they are being transported along the path of travel of the envelopes.
A further object of this invention is to provide a turning device which requires a relatively short travel distance from its entrance to its exit while the envelopes are being turned.
Still another object is to provide an envelope turning device which does not require adjustments to accommodate various thicknesses of envelopes.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a turning device which maintains the articles in proper registration and alignment for further processing in a mass-mailing system.
The present article turning device transports flat articles such as envelopes or documents from its entrance location which is properly aligned to receive envelopes from mail processing equipment such as an envelope inserter. The entrance location has a nip formed by upper and lower spherical rollers. The spherical rollers are offset with respect to each other to begin turning the envelope as soon as it enters the nip. At an exit location is a pair of exit rollers which have their axes rotated 90 degrees with respect to the axes of the entrance rollers. Two flexible endless belts are wrapped around the entrance and exit rollers. The flexible endless belts transport and turn the envelopes between them as the belts are moved from the entrance location to the exit location. The belts are twisted 90 degrees between the entrance and exit rollers, and each belt has at least one span which is contiguous to a corresponding span of the other belt.
There is a motor or other suitable driving means for driving at least one of the rollers so that the belts and rollers move together. There also are a pair of idler rollers with one of the idler rollers contacting each of the endless belts to assist in maintaining the belts in proper position around the entrance and exit rollers. The entrance and exit rollers are spherically configured or crowned to keep the endless flexible belts positioned on the rollers.